12
Farming, Saturday, May 5,1979
Shorthorn youth conference to be in Virginia
OMAHA, Neb. - Youth ’79
is the thane for the 12th
Annual National Shorthorn
Youth Conference to be held
in Virginia, June 15-17,
according to Alan K. Sears,
junior activities director for
Md. sheep producers enjoy
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
When the first statewide
Sheep and Wool Crafts
Festival was held five years
ago at the Carroll county
agrciultural center in
Westminister, the Maryland
sheep industry was ap
proaching its low point of the
twentieth century in animal
numbers and total shorn
wool production. The bottom
actually came the next year
-m 1975.
But a resolute, small band
of loyal supporters refused
to quit; the festival kept
going, and the economic
situation has turned around
for sheep and wool
producers in the Old line
State.
Preliminary statistics
from the federal-state
Maryland Crop Reporting
Service indicate that all
time highs were set during
1978 on average price per
pound for both sheep and
lambs sent to market in
Maryland.
And the average price per
pound for wool last year in
the state was second only to
the astronomical level set in
1951 as a psychological
result of the Korean War.
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the American Shorthorn
Association.
Sears said over 100 youth
delegates and conference
participants from across the
United States and Canada
will be headquartered for
economic turn-around
Those record-breaking
1978 prices included an
average of $15.80 per 100
pounds for mature sheep and
$56.70 per 100 pounds for
lambs. (Average price for 34
lambs sold at the 1978
Maryland State Fair was $Bl
percwt.)
This brought gross income
from slaughter sheep and
lambs in Maryland last year
to $565,000 - the highest
since 1958, when more than
twice as many animals were
marketed.
The average wool price
last year in Maryland was 75
cents per pound. This
compares with the all-time
high of 91 cents per pound in
1951.
Total value of wool
production last year in the
state was $98,000. It is the
largest figure since 1961,
when the comparable figure
was $99,000. However, there
were 31,009 sheep shorn in
1961, compared with only
18,000 last year.
The all-time high for
Maryland wool production
occurred in 1918, according
to records of the Crop
Reporting Service. There
were 82,000 sheep shorn that
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business sessions and
national committee
meetings at the Sheraton Inn
in Fredericksburg, Va.
Additional activities are
scheduled at Windholme
Farm, owned by Harry T.
year, and the total value of
their wool amounted to
$328,000. Average price was
69 cents per pound.
' Mr. Emory C. Leffel,
Extension sheep production
specialist at the University
of Maryland in College Park,
is not convinced yet that the
U.S. sheep industry has
experienced - or will ex
perience - the turn-around
now evident in Maryland and
other Eastern states. For
one thing. Eastern flocks
still account for only a small
part of the national picture.
A determining factor, Dr.
Leffel says, will be success
or failure of the current
“Polypay” breeding
program being conducted by
research workers with the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
r
V'
Authorized Distributor
& Warranty Station.
Peters, Jr., of Orange, Va.,
Sears said.
Rex Tnbbett, Linden, In.,
president of the American
Junior
Association said that
Saturday activities
scheduled at the nationally
“Polypay,” he explained,
is a new strain of sheep being
developed through an am
bitious cross-breeding
program involving the
Dorset, Rarabouillet, Finn
and Targhee breeds. Out of
this program it is hoped, will
come a “supersheep,”
where the ewes consistently
produce two sets of twins per
year.
If this goal can be
achieved, it would place
sheep on an economic
competitive basis with beef
cattle among big ranchers
and f eedlot operators in the
West and Midwest.
Dr. Leffel believes this
goal can be achieved.
Putting it in terms of an
animal scientist; he stated
that “the reproductive
potential for sheep is greater
than it is for cattle.”
,4t
&
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Rt. 3091100
R 2 New Tripoli, PA 18066
BHM FARM EQUIPMENT, INC.
CJ. WONSIDLER BROS.
RDI, Quakertown, PA 18951
known Windholme Farm
would include a judging
clinic, the national
showmanship finals and a
farm tour. Saturday’s ac
tivities will close with an
evening barbeque and social
sponsored by the Virginia
Shorthorn firm, he said.
Shorthorn
The National Shorthorn
Youth Conference, Tribbett
said, offers the opportunity
for young Shorthorn cat
tlemen to meet and ex
change ideas on cattle
breeding, raising and
promotion. In addition,
Tribbett said Conference
participants have the op
portunity to view an out
standing Shorthom/Polled
Shorthorn herd under ex
cellent management and
tours of historical spots in
this eastern setting are
possible.
Other program highlights
will be the Saturday morning
featured speaker Dr. L.
Eugene Byers, Loudonville,
Oh., past president of the
American Shorthorn
Association. The election of
new officers and directors
for the group will occur
during the closing business
session on June 17.
State groups will be in
competition throughout the
Conference in the various
contests that also include
scrapbook content and
presentation, public
i Ruing Power
A nfmens
AU.IS-CHAL.MERS
SRUMEUIFJIRH SERVICE
Quarryville, PA
717-786-7318
AGRONOMICS, INC.
RD2, Factoryville, PA
717-945-3933
L H. BRUBAKER, INC.
Lancaster, PA
717-397-5179
215-767-7611
Annville, RDI, PA
717-867-2211
ROY H. BUCH, INC.
Ephrata, RD2
717-859-2441
215-536-1935
215-536-7523
WERTZ GARAGE
Lineboro, MD
301-374-2672
speaking, mottos and a
promotional contest. The
promotional contest, started
in 1978, will provide State
Junior Shorthorn
Associations with the option
of presenting a skit, radio or
television commercial or a
newspaper/magazine ad
vertisement. This approach
to promoting Shor
thorns/Polled Shorthorns
and the beef cattle indusby
in general, Sears said, is
judged on the basis of
originality, aggressiveness
and degree of success in
communication.
The presentation of the
Outstanding Club Award
based on the accumulation of
points earned by the states
during the three day com
petition will be another
highlight of the closing
session.
The American Junior
Shorthorn Association,
organized in 1967, en
compasses 49 states and
Canada with nearly 3,000
active members, ages nine
to 21. Members join together
through local and state
participation in activities
that grow into a national
movement, Sears said, to
promote the Shor
thorn/Polled Shorthorn
breed of cattle and to con
tribute to the development of
youth and the beef cattle
industry in general.
PETERMAN FARM EQUIPMENT, INC.
225 York Road
Carlisle, PA
717-249-5338
SHARTLESVILLE FARM EQUIPMENT
Shartlesville, PA
215-488-1025
H. Danis) Wenger, Prop.
AG.- INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
R 2, Rising Sun, MD
301-658-5568
AIRVILLE FARM SERVICE
Hwy. 74, Airville, PA
717-862-3358
A. I. NOSS & SON, INC.
RD2, Oley, PA
215-987-6257